According to the poll of more than 3,000 nurses, 83% felt staffing levels in the NHS were unsafe.

The research, carried out by the Sunday Mirror and Nursing Standard magazine, also found that 81% thought levels of care were worse than five years ago.

Janet Davies, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, told the Sunday Mirror: ‘This is a sombre snapshot of the state of the Health Service, direct from the staff keeping it afloat.

‘As pressures rise to new and extreme heights, the Government is digging a deep, dark hole for our NHS.’